Sanctuary Trail

Sanctuary Trail is a 7.2-mile out-and-back from SD Highway 87 to the Highland Creek Trail junction and back. The walk is 3.6 miles each way, crossing rolling prairie and pine stands before it reaches a large prairie dog town. This is a good choice if you want a substantial grassland walk and wildlife, not a summit or a loop finish. The terrain is moderately strenuous; allow about 3.5 to 4 hours. The junction sits roughly 250 feet below the trailhead, so the return climbs back to your starting elevation.

Start at the signed Sanctuary Trailhead about one mile north of the Rankin Ridge fire tower turnoff. The path begins in ponderosa pines, opens onto rolling grassland, then bends through another stand of trees before reaching the prairie dog town and the open fields beyond. In taller grass the tread can fade, so follow the wooden markers. The route ends at the Highland Creek Trail junction; turn around there for this standalone hike. Pets are not allowed.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are the obvious draw. Watch for mounds and listen for their warning calls. These social towns support other wildlife too: owls use abandoned burrows, badgers prey on prairie dogs, and bison graze around the colonies. You may not see all of them, but this is the stretch to slow down and scan the grass. Give the animals room and keep your food packed away.

Early homesteaders built ponds here to collect water for livestock and other uses. Look across the rolling grassland for those old water holes; they are easy to pass without noticing, and give the walk a trace of its human history.